1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of making irrigation conduits. More particularly, it relates to a method of making irrigation conduits having superposed first and second plastic strips and having holes spaced along its length with a fabric patch over said holes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is a large market for subsurface irrigation conduits in many areas because of the great need to conserve water. Subsurface irrigation conduits avoid evaporation losses and provide a means of delivering the water (which may be mixed with fertilizer and other chemicals) directly to the roots of the plants. This is of great importance in arrid areas where the normal rainfall is insufficient to sustain crops.
In order for these irrigation conduits to become practical, however, it is necessary to produce them in great quantity and at a low price. Of particular interest is a subsurface irrigation conduit having a woven fabric patch over the holes spaced along its length. While manufacturing irrigation conduits by heat sealing the edges of two plastic strips is known in the art, as mentioned in U.S. Pat. No. 3,830,067 (1974), no method of producing a conduit having a porous fabric bridge or patch which reduces the fluid pressure and distributes the fluid evenly to the soil has heretofore been known.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an efficient method of making a subsurface irrigation conduit having a woven fabric patch covering the holes spaced along the length thereof.
This and other objects will become clear upon further reading of the specification.